


Work-Life Balance

by Sixthlight



Series: Interstitial Spaces [2]
Category: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Post-Book: Lies Sleeping, Spoilers for Lies Sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 08:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17362532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sixthlight/pseuds/Sixthlight
Summary: Sometimes it's a good thing when work follows you home.





	Work-Life Balance

Beverley watched the Nightingale trying to balance eight books, a cake tin, and an unidentified box which she suspected did not contain, as its outside proclaimed, tinned tomatoes. After half a minute, she took pity on him and left the doorway. 

“Need a hand there?” she asked, and got to watch his instincts about manly responsibility to carry things warring with the knowledge that he wasn’t going to be able to move all of it from the car to the house in one trip. The cake tin tipped dangerously, and Beverley grabbed it before he could say anything. 

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind,” he said, smiling. There hadn’t been a lot of smiling from the Folly in the last couple of weeks, including the member of the Folly who was now living full-time in her house, so that was a weird sort of relief. 

“Come on,” she said. “You can use the living room. He’s cleaned the kitchen three times this week and he’s starting to annoy Maksim by muttering about the garden. You’re just in time.” 

“Peter never has taken to inactivity very well,” Nightingale said, following her in. “Thank you for allowing us to use the house.”

“He lives here now,” Beverley said, a fact that she wished was uncomplicatedly happy. “I knew what I was getting.” 

Peter was on the couch reading one of Beverley’s detective novels alternating with scrolling through his phone, which meant he really was desperate. He sat up when Beverley and Nightingale came in. 

“Hello,” he said. He took in the things they were carrying. “Making a delivery run for the stuff I forgot to pack?”

“I don’t think you forgot to pack the  _Iliad_ , I think you left it behind quite on purpose,” Nightingale said, setting the books down on the coffee table. Because Peter had been here full-time for three weeks, with nothing to do, it was entirely clear of other objects, which Beverley - in her professional capacity - counted as a minor miracle. “However, while you may have been suspended as an officer, you haven’t been suspended from Greek. Or magic.” 

Peter groaned, flopped back on the couch, and covered his face with a cushion, but it didn’t hide his smile. Beverley shared a look with Nightingale. 

“I’ll just put this in the kitchen,” she said, lifting the cake tin. “For when you’re done with the lesson.”

“Thank you,” Nightingale said. “Molly was most insistent that we be provided with proper refreshment.”

Peter uncovered his face. “Molly sent cake?”

“Molly sends her regards,” Nightingale said. “And also this -” He moved the not-tinned-tomatoes box towards Peter “-which will likewise have to wait until we’re done.”

“My Xbox!” Peter said, joyfully. Nightingale grinned. 

“I’m going, I’ve got a lab,” Beverley said. “If you want to blow things up, go into the back garden, alright?”

“I haven’t blown anything up for  _years_ ,” said Peter, and his eyes were alight in a way they hadn’t been since Covent Garden. Beverley felt something in her chest loosen. 

“If you say so, babes,” she said, and kissed him. To Nightingale she said “Peter knows where the tea things are.”

“We shan’t keep you,” he said. “Enjoy your class.” 

“Mmmm,” Beverley said, and went to the kitchen to cut herself a slice of Molly’s cake before she left. 


End file.
